Heavy footsteps resounded in the empty corridor as she counted the number of doors. One, two, three, four, five... She halted her steps and faced the yellow door. Tightening her grip on her backpack, she exhaled a breath she didn't realize she's been holding.
"Here goes nothing," she knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Nobody came. The apartment seemed empty, not a soul in sight. Cursing under her breath for forgetting her keys, she went back to the door and started rapping against the wooden frame. After a few moments, she gave up and threw her backpack on the floor before settling down against the door. She reached into her bag for a water-bottle and took a gulp of the cold beverage, sighing as the cool liquid calmed her knotted insides.
The hot summer air started to put weight upon her eyelids. She slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, trying to stay awake just in case the red-head returns.
The jet lag won.
"Hey."
Beca took off the tester headphones and looked up to find a pair of light-blue eyes was staring back at her. She quirked an eyebrow and scoffed, putting the headphones back on and ignored the stranger in front of her. She was bobbing her head up and down to the beat when she felt someone yanking the audio piece away, pulling some of her hair in the process.
"Ouch! Hey!" She spun around and glared at the same stranger who was now wearing a sly smile on her face. "Alright, what do you want?"
"That's Kodaline, right? You're listening to Kodaline."
The brunette rolled her eyes and pushed the said band's EP into the stranger's hands, "Yes, and now you can listen to them too." She looked her in the eye, silently warning her to not disturb her 'zone' (as Beca'd put it) before placing the headphones back over her ears.
It didn't take long before they got pulled off again.
"Seriously, woman. I can have you up for manhandling."
The red-head giggled at her words and stuck her hand out in front of the brunette. Beca's frown deepened, not understanding the other girl's behavior. Is this even normal? She thought.
"I'm Chloe."
"Beca." She gasped lightly when the stranger grabbed her hand and shook it. Her eyebrows started to rise and her features contoured into a slight-amused-slight-horrified mould as Chloe tightened her grip on the smaller hand and pulled Beca towards her.
"It's so nice to finally know someone who is listening to Kodaline too! Aren't they the best?!" The red-head chirped, her face breaking into a wide grin that made Beca cringed. The brunette tried to break the stronghold and retrieve her hand but Chloe would not have it. Instead, she pulled the shorter girl closer and whispered into her ears,
"I think, we're going to be fast friends." Beca quirked her eyebrows and watched the red-head take out a sharpie and start scribbling on her own palm. When she's done, Chloe looked up and flashed Beca a wink.
"I heard you listening to Two Door Cinema Club and Little & Ashley earlier. Excellent choices, Beca. We should totally hang out and exchange music soon!"
Beca scoffed lightly and studied the strange red-head in front of her; Chloe has gone on rambling off other bands and artistes that Beca did instead take deeper interest in. She glanced down at her palm with the phone number and back up at the animated red-head.
Maybe this isn't so bad after all.
Beads of perspiration started to form on her forehead as the afternoon sun wore on. Beca felt something vibrating in her pants' pocket and reached for her phone. Clumsily pressing around, she finally caught the right button and muttered a greeting into the device.
"Becs. You're back!"
"Yes, Jesse. I'm back."
"Why didn't you tell me?! I could have fetched you and-"
"Woah, hold your horses big man. I wanted to see Chlo so I took a-"
"-I know. Becs, Chloe's not doing very well."
She fell silent at his words. Jesse sighed; she could hear him fumbling with the phone and some rushed voices echoing in the background. It took a moment before he returned to the call.
"Becs, listen. Chloe, she's been to the doctors and they said to hold her back for observation and everything is in a mess now and Aubrey she's-"
"Jesse, Jesse! Calm down! Talk slowly." Beca started gathering her things and stood up. She flung her bag over her shoulders and started walking out of the apartment building towards her rental car. As she stepped onto the side of the road, she turned around to look at the building once more.
Her hand grabbing on to an old photograph that showed both her and Chloe laughing candidly at each other.
"How about this one?"
Beca watched as Chloe frowned in concentration, her light-blue eyes studying the red brick apartment block in front of them. The brunette smirked at the tiny pout that has formed on the red-head's lips as she make her decision. A few moments later, Chloe clucked her tongue and nodded.
"This is the one." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned around expectantly.
"You sure? You haven't seen inside."
"Mmhmm. A hundred percent sure." She unfolded her arms and wrapped them around the shorter girl.
"But you haven't seen inside." Beca repeated. Chloe smiled and leaned in to close the gap between the two of them; Beca tip-toeing to meet her half way.
"I didn't see inside of you either before I decided we'd be fast friends." Beca dropped her jaw in mock offense.
"I'm sure I'm way better than a red brick building."
"Sure you are."
/
A week later, the apartment - smelling of fresh concrete and new carpentry, was abuzz with unpacking and happy chatter. The two girls have roped in their goofy bunch of friends to help make the move. Boxes were cut and clothes were set into the huge wardrobe that both girls have decided to share. Beca was kneeling in front of the sound system hooking up and connecting the different wires. Her tongue stuck out between her teeth as she tried to remember without the manuals. The brunette has previously announced with confidence that she wouldn't need those booklets anymore and has proceeded to throw them out.
The red-head walked out of their bedroom with an armful of photograph albums collected over the past five years since they'd met when she spotted her tiny brunette. Smiling, she leaned against the doorframe and watched Beca work. Her eyes then left its linger on the brunette and started to wander around their new place. Chloe has decided the overall design while Beca made inputs for furniture choice. While there have been much banter and sometimes heated arguments that sent Beca chasing after the red-head with her favorite hot chocolate the next morning, Chloe knew she wouldn't exchange those moments for anything else in the world.
Beca looked up at that moment with one of the widest grins Chloe's ever seen on the brunette's face.
They're home, they're finally home.
"-the doctors said they'll try everything but she's has gone into sleep and no one could wake her up and... Becs, you gotta come down here now or you may miss both of them-"
"Both of them? Jesse, bro, calm down and tell me where you are and-"
The line went dead.
Beca slowly opened her eyes and groaned. She looked around and found her phone lying on the floor next to her. She picked it up and realized it was totally flat. Frustrated, she threw it into her bag and started to get up. Dusting off dirt from her pants, it was then that she realized the many people running around her. Their mouths were opening and closing but no sound came out.
Weird, she thought, scratching her head. She was walking and trying to find her car amongst the sudden chaos that erupted since her phone call with Jesse when she stumbled into a smaller figure.
"Oops, sorry." She grabbed the small boy and held him upright. He looked around the age of 4 and sported orangey-red curls on his tiny head. He broke into a shy smile and it was then that Beca realized he had the same piercing pair of light blue eyes.
"Hey there..." Beca squatted down so that she's at eye-level with the boy. "What's your name?" The boy shrugged and pointed at her.
"Me? I'm Beca." His smile widen when he heard her name and he grabbed her hand, interlocking his tiny fingers with hers. Beca quirked an eyebrow as he began tugging her along to walk down the street - away from the crowd that has now gathered in front of the red-brick building.
"Err... Where are we headed? You want me to bring you home? We could take my car... if I can find it." The boy simply smiled back and motioned that they'll be walking. Beca nodded and followed his lead. An unknown warmth settled at the pit of her stomach and slowly spread throughout her body as she held on to his tiny hand tightly.
The sound of the slamming door made Beca jump. She spun around to see a fuming red-head glaring at her. Knowing what's in for her, the brunette quickly made a bee-line for the bathroom but Chloe beat her to it.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Err, the toilet? I need to pee, babe."
"Where," the red-head repeated, this time through clenched teeth, "are. You. Going."
Beca shifted on her feet uncomfortably, desperate for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. She gulped and started to open her mouth to speak, "I-"
"-You, Beca Mitchell, are going to London. And do you know how I knew? This." Chloe slammed the day's newspapers into the brunette's chest with such force, the latter winced in pain.
"When are you going to tell me? When you leave? Oh my gosh. You're only going to tell me when you have already flown over the Atlantic ocean and settled down with some British accent!" Beca shook her head violently at the statements, or for her case - accusations.
"No! Chlo, stop. Listen to me. Don't read those rubbish! I haven't dec-"
"Oh you haven't decided yet?! Are you sure? Because your record company sure didn't think that way. It says here that Creatures' Records has signed a deal with BU Entertainment to have you help their artistes record two albums! TWO albums. Becs, do you know how long TWO albums would take? And you'll be in London freaking England!"
"Babe, I'll be shuttling to and fro - you probably won't see me for only 2 to 3 days in a week - that's all! And with technology I can talk to you every night! It's not like we are a day apart from each other? Babe, come on-"
"-so you're really going to leave me here? Really?"
"Chlo, you know it's my dream. This is my big break."
"I can't believe you. After all these... and that... and this!" Chloe motioned to her tummy.
"What? What do you mean, Chloe?"
The red-head closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that it has always been Beca's dream to be a top-notch music producer in the industry. She wasn't doing too bad but this record deal will seal her fate as one of the leading artiste in the century. When she opened her eyes, she saw Beca kneeling down next to her with tears flowing out of those navy eyes. An aching pain panned through her body as she took in the sight.
"Beca..."
"I'm sorry, Chlo. You're right. I shouldn't leave you. It's just a stupid dream anyway. I love you and I want to be here with you."
Chloe shook her head, feeling her anger from earlier dissipating. She pulled the brunette back up on her feet and engulfed her in a tight hug. Both of them stayed silent in that position, not wanting to break anything.
After a while, Chloe pulled away slightly and tilted her brunette's head so that she could peer into her eyes.
"Remember how we met?"
Beca nodded, smiling fondly at the memory of their first meeting at the record store where the red-head used to work for extra allowance. Chloe pulled her in and pressed her lips against the brunette's forehead, feeling her tears streaming down again as she continued in her whisper, "It has always been your dream, even way before me. I don't want to be that stumbling block, Becs. I want to be your support - the one that help you achieve your best."
"But you're my best."
"You're right. We will have technology and airplanes to bridge that gap. Two years will go by very fast and you'll be back with me in no time. Like this, like this moment."
Beca looked back into those light-blue eyes and felt her own tears stinging her eyes as she pulled her red-head into a bone-crushing embrace.
"I love you, Chlo. Don't you ever forget that."
/
"Paging all passengers heading towards London, England. This is the last boarding call for all passengers heading towards London, England on flight AA130."
Beca smiled at her group of friends that has gathered near the departure gate, all of them on the verge of tears as they bid the brunette their goodbyes and goodlucks. Chloe stood a little away from the group, choosing to watch her girlfriend say her farewell from a distance. It's clearer this way, she said to herself.
Breaking away from the group and taking a step back, a tall blonde threw a glance at her red-head best friend and worried her lip. She observed Chloe rubbing her hand against her lower abdomen and knew what was running through the red-head's mind. Their previous conversation that morning ran through her own blonde mind...
"You sure about this, Chlo?"
"Yes, Aubrey. She deserves the best. We'll still communicate. When she's back, she'll see this bubbly bundle of life!"
"So you just want to drop this bundle of surprise on her when she's back two years later?"
"I can't let her be distracted."
Aubrey chuckled sadly, "As if you're not a big distraction yourself."
"That's why, Bree..."
Beca hugged Chloe as tight as her arms could afford, trying her best to smell all of Chloe - knowing well she'll miss the red-head immensely. She'd requested Chloe to spare her worn and unwashed sweaters from the past few days so that she could bring her scent over to London. As the brunette walked past the security and turned around, the two locked eyes and Chloe found herself already missing those navy-blue eyes that were now looking back at her. She watched as Beca mouthed and motioned with her hands, tears now freely streaming down her cheeks:
"My heart is always with you, Chlo."
Beca stopped in her tracks as the huge white building pulled up in sight at the front. She peered down at the boy who simply pointed at the hospital ahead.
"Chloe..." She whispered, shaking herself out of the daze and gathered the boy into her arms before quickening her steps towards the sterile building.
/
"Do you know where she is?" The boy stared back into her navy eyes blankly. Sighing, she approached the nearest nurse station and cleared her throat.
"Hey, excuse me. I'm looking for a Chloe Beale. Is she warded in this hospital?" She tried, setting the boy atop the counter.
The nurse gruntled and typed Beca's request into her computer. A ward number popped up on the screen. "She's in Ward 17 but-"
"Okay, thanks!" Beca quickly grabbed the boy and brisk-walked towards the ward.
"-but visiting hours are over. Hey, where did she go?"
"Alice? Are you talking to yourself again?" The nurse's other colleague asked, coming up next to her and examined the computer.
"Of course not. There was a lady who inquired regarding that poor red-head in Ward 17." Alice replied, getting up to look down the corridor where Beca has gone. She quirked her eyebrow at the empty corridor.
"That's weird. I didn't see anyone when you were speaking."
"Alright Josie, you know how I feel about such things." Josie laughed at her cowardly colleague and started to walk out of the station quickly. "Jos, where are you headed in such a rush?"
Josie sighed, not looking back as she continued her quick steps, "Another accident earlier in the evening. Apparently it's some famous person that got knocked down and rushed to the ER. They're short on people so I'm headed there. You'll be okay on your own eh, Alice?"
The first few weeks were torturous for both girls.
Beca's schedule turned out to be unpredictable and she was expected to socialize with the people from the local scene. By the time she returned to her hotel and logged on Skype, the red-head was already asleep. So they tried snail-mail but that also died down quite quickly as the postal service sucked and letters were often lost in the mail. Their frustration at not being able to communicate as much began to show and it finally culminated into a huge fight one night. Both were left brokenhearted and didn't speak for weeks even though they yearned for even just one word from the other girl.
While working late one night at the studio, Beca was getting increasingly flustered. Her coworkers could sense the change in her usually-calm demeanor and have shown concern for her. She brushed it off as being fatigue but she knew better.
At the end of the first album recording, she knew she needed a break and to quickly get back to her beloved. After bidding goodbye to her coworkers at the end of a launch party of their first album, she grabbed her phone and dialed to explain to her agent. Elise expressed her understanding and granted the brunette a month's break, taking into account her contribution to make the album a bestseller within its first week of release.
Beca had never been more ecstatic. She literally ran all the way back to her hotel to pack her bags, hopping on the first plane Elise'd managed to book for her and flew back to New York;
back to the arms of her beloved.
Beep, beep, beep
Beca's heart broke at the sight of the red-head lying on the bed. Her left hand was bruised with needles and the IV taped on it; her face no longer glowing with her usual radiance.
It felt as if Chloe's personality has also left her in entirety. Beca quietly opened the door and turned to motion the boy to follow her. Her eyebrows rose when she saw nobody standing behind her. She poked her head out of the room and examined the corridor.
No kid was in sight.
Shrugging, she closed the door and quietly rushed to her beloved's side. Cradling her hand, Beca leaned forward to press her lips on the red locks she'd miss so much.
"I miss you, Chlo."
Pulling a chair nearer the bed, she settled down and rested her face on the bruised hand, waiting for her Chloe to wake up. The room was silent, save for the heavy ticking of the clock. The brunette felt her eyes flutter close as she struggled to stay awake for the red-head.
/
"Beca? Beca... Baby, wake up."
"Huh? Chlo?"
Beca slowly pried open her eyes and found a pair of light blues peering into hers. She felt her face break into a smile as she took in the sight of the glorious red-head sitting up in front of her. Chloe had a bright smile on her own face, consumed with happiness that her brunette was once again back within her reach. Beca clambered into the bed next to Chloe and pulled her into an embrace that took both their breaths away.
"I miss you so much." they breathed out at the same time, pulling apart to look at each other before collapsing in giggles.
"I'm so sorry, Becs."
"No, I'm the one who should apolo-" Chloe held her finger up to Beca's lips, cutting her off.
"I'm very sorry, Becs. I haven't been careful and now..." Tears started to pool at her eyes as she cradled her tummy. Very soon, her frail body started to heave as sadness washed over her. Beca's own heart broke the second time and took her beloved into her arms.
"It's okay... we can always try again..."
"Beca?"
"Yeah?"
Chloe rubbed her eyes sleepily and snuggled her face into the crook of Beca's bare neck, "I'm tired. I'm so tired..." Beca cradled her face in her hands and tucked her curly red locks behind her ears.
"We'll be okay, Chloe. You'll get better."
"Becs, is it me or is the room getting a little too bright?" Chloe asked, grabbing the brunette's hand as the room slowly get swallowed in a calming white.
Beca squeezed her hand back and held the red-head closer as she whispered into her ear:
Don't worry, Chloe. I'm here with you now. I'm home.
We're home.
"We're losing her!"
"Her pulse is getting really weak, Dr.!"
"Give me an update on her BP, pronto!"
"Below 40, sir! She's losing too much blood!"
Alice bursted into the room; Josie immediately noticed her wide eyes, "Alice?"
"Doctor, the patient in ward 17 just flat-lined."
"What, Josie, call Doctor Hous- Oh shoot." The ominous ringing resonated in the room. "Quick, get me the defibrillator now. Alice, what are you staring at? Come assist me with this- Alice!" The nurse ignored him as she stared at the patient lying on the operating table and the old, faded photograph grasped in the patient's hand.
"Josie, this was the woman that spoke to me earlier..."